2328 Harbour Rd.
11am to 3pm Wednesday to Sunday
$35.00 per person
Reservations required
250.656.4015 or https://www.latchinn.ca/

THE EXPERIENCE
Two words describe our high tea at The Latch: hilarious and weird. It truly was hilariously weird from beginning to end. It was also charming and wonderful. What we’re trying to say is The Latch is the kind of place we get excited about it. 

The Latch is in Sidney, BC, a 30 minute drive and a longer-than-we’d-bike distance from Victoria. If we hadn’t known where we were going, it would have been easy to miss. We drove past maritime boat yards and stereotypical Sidney condos before it revealed itself at the end of a cul-de-sac.

Originally built in 1926 as the private summer residence of British Columbia’s then Lieutenant-Governor, Walter C. Nichol, the mansion now looks slightly out of place. It was built with large, rough hewn tree trunks, resulting in a bark covered wood exterior reminiscent of a log cabin. Inside the house is full of ornate wood paneling, beautiful wood floors, and intricately carved banisters complete with animal guardians at top and bottom.

We visited The Latch on a sunny summer’s Sunday. We pulled up in Charlotte’s Fiat 500 and parked right outside the front steps. Being located outside of town sure makes parking easier! 

We were met at the top of the wide entrance steps by the concierge, who took us in and down the grand stairs to wood paneled dining rooms. Through French doors we could see two people on the patio eating lunch, with the boats and the marina behind them and a view out to the sea from there.

It was at this point that we realized that those 2 people were the only other customers. This meant that we received the undivided attention of the concierge and were given a personal guided tour of the house. It was eccentric to say the least. The dining rooms are comprised of small seating rooms, all with wood paneling; lovely original windows; and picturesque views of the garden or the marina. The front sitting room was well appointed with a large fireplace we can only imagine would be perfect for those mid-February rains. But the best part? The best part was the ghosts. The concierge informed us that the ghosts often turn lights on and off on them. Sure enough, lights turned on around us every time our voices became excited and turned off when we made low comments to each other. It was, as we promised, hilarious and weird.

We were seated at a table in a room modeled after a study. We had an absolutely stunning view through the original windows onto west coast gardens.

The tables were simply set in blue and white with stylish, plain white china. Even the tea tray was a simple pleasure. A bamboo tray held loose tea, a fun strainer, and a lovely teapot that matched the white cups.

When the tea arrived, we were so pleasantly surprised! It came presented on three tiers as per tradition. An unexpected extra was the plate of fresh fruit that came alongside. We were taken aback by the generosity of the portions given that the price is extremely reasonable for high tea.

The sandwiches offered an Italian twist with a caprese on sourdough next to the more expected egg salad and smoked salmon. Three different flavours of scone gave us both savoury and sweet, almost more scone than we could finish and we are scone eating experts. While it must be said that the scones were somewhat dense, they came with real clotted cream. And when we asked for extra cream, it arrived promptly! The pastries were the only disappointment. They were very obviously purchased and while they were fine, they were not the outstanding sweet finish we were hoping for.

The experience at The Latch is one of kind. You won’t find another haunted heritage log mansion  offering high tea with a modern classic aesthetic. The attentive service was generous and warm. It was obvious that the concierge and owner both care a great deal about the restoration work they’ve done and their vision for the future of this beautiful piece of BC architecture.

THE RATING
We give The Latch an easy 5/5 balls and it is our unanimous #2 top pick for high tea in Victoria.  We thoroughly enjoyed our visit and we were already making a list of the folks we want to bring there for a second visit before we’d left the driveway. If that isn’t the highest praise, we don’t know what is.